Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jul 2023
Reliability of Third Ventricle Assessment by Transcranial Ultrasound: A Computational Model of the Effect of Insonation Angle.
Transcranial sonography (TCS) is a bedside examination which is currently used in multiple neurocritical care settings. Third ventricle ultrasound is usually a simple technique, though a large insonation angle could lead to an overestimation of third ventricular diameter. The aim of this study was to use a mathematical model to evaluate the impact of probe inclination on the false positive rate when using TCS to evaluate third ventricle enlargement. ⋯ Using probe inclinations <15 degrees, erroneous diagnosis of third ventricular enlargement was rare. Our results suggest that TCS has a low rate of false positives when the angle of insonation is minimized.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jul 2023
Frontal Electroencephalography Findings in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) negatively impacts the central nervous system, and studies using a full montage of electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes have reported nonspecific EEG patterns associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. The use of this technology is resource-intensive and limited in its implementation. In this descriptive pilot study, we report neurophysiological patterns and the potential prognostic capability of an abbreviated frontal EEG electrode montage in critically ill COVID-19 patients. ⋯ The majority of COVID-19 patients showed signs of EEG discontinuity during monitoring with an abbreviated electrode montage. The trends towards worse survival among those with EEG discontinuity support the need for additional studies to investigate these associations in COVID-19 patients.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jul 2023
The Association Between Illness Severity Scores and In-hospital Mortality After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association with in-hospital mortality of 8 illness severity scores in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). ⋯ Compared with admission HH score, GCS 24 hours after admission (or 24 h after aneurysm repair) is more likely to be associated with in-hospital mortality after aSAH.
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Post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) is a multicomponent entity affecting many who survive an initial period of resuscitation following cardiac arrest. This focussed review explores some of the strategies for mitigating the effects of PCAS following the return of spontaneous circulation. We consider the current evidence for controlled oxygenation, strategies for blood-pressure targets, the timing of coronary reperfusion, and the evidence for temperature control and treatment of seizures. ⋯ Results of some studies suggest that interventions may benefit specific subgroups of cardiac arrest patients, but the optimal timing and duration of many interventions remain unknown. The role of intracranial pressure monitoring has been the subject of only a few studies, and its benefits remain unclear. Research aimed at improving the management of PCAS is ongoing.
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J Neurosurg Anesthesiol · Jul 2023
Predicting Mortality Following Traumatic Brain Injury or Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: An Analysis of the Validity of Standardized Mortality Ratios Obtained From the APACHE II and ICNARCH-2018 Models.
Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), calculated using the Acute Physiology, Age, Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre H-2018 (ICNARC H-2018 ) risk prediction models, are widely used in UK intensive care units (ICUs) to measure and compare the quality of critical care delivery. Both models incorporate an assumption of Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) if an actual GCS without sedation is not recordable in the first 24 hours after ICU admission. This study assesses the validity of the APACHE II and ICNARC H-2018 models to predict mortality in ICU patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) in whom GCS is related to outcomes. ⋯ The APACHE II and ICNARC H-2018 models predicted mortality well for the overall TBI/aSAH ICU population but underpredicted mortality when GCS was ≤8 or "unrecordable." This raises questions about the accuracy of these risk prediction models in TBI/aSAH patients and their use to evaluate treatments and compare outcomes between centers.